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On Thursday May 1st 2008, the 'May Day Massacre' took place as local elections were held throughout England and Wales. The victims of the massacre were the Labour counsellors who lost their seats and the London Mayor who lost his powerful role as the Mayor of Greater London. Even Prime Minister Gordon Brown may lose his job as the Labour Leader if he now fails to gain more popularity for the Labour cause.

I took part in the massacre. On Thursday, I walked down to my local polling station in the London Borough of Bromley, one of thirty-two London boroughs, to vote for Boris Johnson, the conservative candidate for the office of the Mayor of London.

Boris is a bit like the Scarlet Pimpernel of North London. Sir Percy Blakeney, the original Pimpernel, was adept at acting the buffoon but underneath this exterior was a brave and intelligent leader.

Boris once commented: "People always ask me the same question, they say, 'Is Boris a very, very clever man pretending to be an idiot?' And I always say, 'No.' "

Boris comes from a privileged background but has experienced several minor disasters in his young life already. He has been sacked from various jobs including the front bench of the conservative party. He has his own, original and humorous take on these sackings:

"My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters."

On the Wednesday before election day, I had not planned to vote for anyone as I respected the calm way that Ken Livingstone, the current Mayor, had handled himself in the Mayorial debates.

However, I saw Ken on the Wednesday watching as a big poster was unveiled on TV saying; "Vote for London and Not For a Joke." I don't know whether Ken approved of those words or not but I hate to see anyone written off as a joke before they have been allowed to show what they are capable of.

Certainly, Boris loves to joke and has been described as the 'thinking man's idiot' but this does not mean he should be laughed off stage before he has performed his act. Boris is also capable of laughing at himself. In one town he said "You are the only town in England that I have not insulted."

The assembled crowd, and Boris always attracts a crowd, laughed and applauded.

Boris has, fortunately, not insulted all of London although he has upset some parts of it. He showed his seriousness and real desire for the job of Mayor by giving up drink for several months before the election. He even cut his yellow mop of hair shorter and watched what he said!

Above all, he has shown the courage to accept a huge challenge just as David accepted the terrifying task of facing up to Goliath. Ken Livingstone has been a popular Mayor of London both as an Independent and as a member of the Labour Party. No other conservative was willing to face him in this election and very few people gave Boris any chance of winning.

However, Boris believed in himself and had the confidence and courage to accept the challenge of ousting a Mayor who had defined the role of London Mayor.

Ken has held office for eight years through the joy of winning the Olympics for London and the horrors of the terrorist bombings. He has helped turn London into a multicultural city capable of entertaining the world. He is regarded as a political giant by many Londoners.

Boris, the David of this story, is already a giant in his own way, both physically and mentally, and he will make London an even more entertaining city. He also plans to make it a more pleasant city to live in by clamping down on the yobbish behaviour in public places that has clouded the lives of too many of London's residents.

Boris, typically, says: "If I don't succeed, kick me out at the next election. "

On Thursday, May 1st, I felt a strong compulsion to walk to the polling station and vote for Boris. Well over a million other voters felt the same way and Boris Johnson is now the new Mayor of Greater London. I look forward to watching his progress over the next few years. At the very least, it will be interesting!

His acceptance speech was outstanding. It showed respect for his colleagues and concern for those who had voted for him and for those who had not. Boris comes across as an amateur rather than as a professional politician. I think that is one reason so many people voted for him.

Amateurs reveal their humanity and their true feelings. Professionals tend to be more concerned about avoiding saying anything too controversial. Spin doctors analyse their speeches and take the guts out of them. I hope Boris does not allow this to happen to him.

One secret of Boris' success is his real desire for the job of London Mayor. His father was impressed by his willingness to sacrifice drink for three months before the election! That convinced his father, at least, that he was serious!

Boris also believed in his own ability to make a difference to one of the biggest cities in the world. He succeeded by being himself and by being willing to make a fool of himself.

Lesser conservatives feared looking silly if they lost against Ken. Boris overcame this fear and had the courage and confidence to accept a huge challenge. He truly deserves to have had the last laugh.

He can also teach us all a few powerful life lessons:

Don't be too concerned about what other people think of you. Just get on with developing your skills in private and you will become so good at them that you will have the last laugh in public.

Be ready to give up something you love, like drink, to help you achieve your goals.

Believe in yourself and your own abilities and have the courage to take on tough challenges.